Coimbatore District Police on Tuesday launched Vidiyal , a 24x7 suicide prevention helpline for those in need of assistance in the district to overcome suicidal thoughts.
Superintendent of Police S. Selvanagarathinam, who launched the integrated control room dedicated to this helpline at the District Police Office here, said that out of 959 cases registered under Section 174 (unnatural death) of the Code of Criminal Procedure in the District (Rural) limits so far in this year, over 480 cases or around 50% fell under deaths by suicide. This included the deaths of five minors by suicide in the district and the cases comprise men and women of all age groups, he said.
“We hope to bring this 50% down to zero through this initiative,” he said. Among the causes identified by the police for these cases, suicides due to issues within families were found to be the dominant reason, followed by health-related problems, inability to repay loans and loss of livelihoods, Mr. Selvanagarathinam said.
The integrated control room will be manned by eight police personnel, who will be handling the phone calls round-the-clock on all days. These personnel underwent training by mental health professionals last week to handle distress calls, Mr. Selvanagarathinam said. Apart from this, around 70 police personnel or two per police station in the District (Rural) limits and 60 private counsellors will be available to reach out to those in distress and provide spot counselling, he added.
Mr. Selvanagarathinam also launched a short film made by Coimbatore District Police to create awareness on cyber crime. Nearly three complaints are being received every day in the district regarding online job frauds and victims of such cyber crimes must contact national helpline 155260, he said.
Vidiyal 24x7 suicide prevention helpline can be reached at 0422-2300999. Assistance to overcome suicidal tendencies is also available through the State’s health helpline 104 and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044- 24640050.
